WASHINGTON — Washington Nationals third baseman Yunel Escobar left Wednesday’s game with the New York Mets while he was batting in the second inning against starter Noah Syndergaard.
Escobar was shaken up after trying to check his swing and appeared to hold his left wrist. He stayed on the ground momentarily and took a few minutes before stepping back into the box.
Escobar fouled off the next pitch down the third base line and was then replaced by pinch hitter Dan Uggla with a 1-2 count. Uggla took the only pitch he saw for strike three and the first out of the inning, though the strikeout was charged to Escobar since he left with two strikes.
Uggla then went to second base in the top of the third and Danny Espinosa, the starting second baseman, moved to third.
Escobar has had a stellar season in his first year in Washington. He has hit leadoff much of the year but also hit cleanup a few games to try and give right fielder Bryce Harper some protection in the Nationals’ lineup. Escobar entered the game hitting .322 with five homers and 30 RBIs.
The Nationals already have four regulars on the disabled list: left fielder Jayson Werth, center fielder Denard Span, infielder Anthony Rendon and first baseman Ryan Zimmerman. The Nationals did not immediately announce what was wrong with Escobar.
Washington (50-42) leads second-place New York (49-45) by two games in the National League East.